Second Opinion

Second Opinion

While It Looks Like the Sox Docs Think Manny's Good to Go
The Former Slugging Savant Is Seeking a Second Opinion

Eric Wilbur: Oblique Forecast for Manny

"It wouldn�t be a Red Sox season without some form of a mini-Manny controversy. The Red Sox are 10-9 since Ramirez left the lineup last month in the Bronx, but of those nine losses six have been by two runs or fewer. Four have been one-run losses, including a pair over the weekend vs. the Yankees. It�s impossible to pinpoint exactly how Ramirez might have changed a number of those outcomes, especially considering how well Jacoby Ellsbury has performed in his absence, but potentially his bat�s presence might have been good enough to swing even one of those close losses back Boston�s way.

"Barring his return to the lineup in the immediate future, this will be the first time in a decade that Manny does not produce a 100-RBI season. It will be his first sub-30 home run year since that same season of �97. His .880 OPS is the lowest in his career since 1994, his second season in the major leagues.

"It is his worst season with the Red Sox, and yet he remains a vital cog in their late-season push. On the bench." -- 9.18.07, Eric Wilbur, Boston.com

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